Al Jazeera

Franck Fife/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

News about Al Jazeera, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jun. 23, 2015

Ahmed Mansour, Egyptian-British journalist from Al Jazeera TV network, is released by German authorities who detained him at request of Egyptian government; he is accused of torturing unidentified lawyer during 2011 uprising against former Egyptian Pres Hosni Mubarak. MORE

Jun. 22, 2015

Ahmed Mansour, Egyptian-British journalist working for Al Jazeera network, is being held in Germany pending court ruling on validity of Egyptian warrant for his arrest; Egyptian government has demanded arrest and extradition of several people since 2013 ouster of Pres Mohamed Morsi, but Mansour's arrest in Germany represents first time western government has complied. MORE

Jun. 21, 2015

Prominent Al Jazeera journalist Ahmed Mansour is detained in Germany in accordance with Egyptian arrest warrant, latest in series of legal entanglements between Al Jazeera and Egypt; Mansour has been sentenced in absentia in Egypt to 15 years in prison over allegations that he tortured lawyer in Tahrir Square in 2011. MORE

May. 12, 2015

Journalist Mohamed Fahmy, naturalized Canadian who gave up Egyptian citizenship and is now facing terrorism charges in Egypt, files suit in Canada claiming that he and others were endangered by skewed priorities of his employer Al Jazeera. MORE

May. 7, 2015

Al Jazeera America, in turmoil, removes Ehab Al Shihabi as chief executive; he will be succeeded by Al Anstey; is latest move in turbulent time for the network, and employees report poor morale. MORE

May. 6, 2015

Al Jazeera America is seen as minor player in domestic news, with about 30,000 viewers nightly, but lawsuit along with departure of top executives have exposed grievances that employees say shows big dysfunction in management; dozen former and current employee say newsroom is in complete disarray. MORE

Apr. 29, 2015

Former Al Jazeera America director Matthew Luke files wrongful termination lawsuit against cable network; alleges that he was terminated after complaining to human resources about sexist and antisemitic behavior by his supervisor, Osman Mahmud. MORE

Feb. 26, 2015

Paris police arrest three Al Jazeera journalists for flying drone over large part on western edge of city; arrests come amid mounting anxiety over unauthorized objects seen in city's skies; journalists are thought to have been capturing footage for news piece, but flying drones over city without permission is prohibited. MORE

Feb. 13, 2015

Egyptian court orders release of Al Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, who were arrested in 2013 on charges of broadcasting false reports of unrest in Egypt as part of conspiracy with Muslim Brotherhood; prosecutors offered no evidence to support such claims. MORE

Feb. 2, 2015

Egypt deports Australian television journalist Peter Greste, who was jailed for over a year on politicized charges about his work; he was one of three jailed journalists for Al Jazeera's English-language unit. MORE

Jan. 2, 2015

Highest appeals court in Egypt calls for retrial of Mohamed Fahmy, Baher Mohamed and Peter Greste, Al Jazeera journalists who have been imprisoned for more than a year; while order is implicit recognition of flaws in cases against the men, it does not guarantee they will be freed in near future. MORE

Dec. 23, 2014

Qatar suspends broadcast of satellite news channel sharply critical of Egypt's military-led government after pressure from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and the Egyptian government; shutdown of channel, Egyptian affiliate of the Qatari-owned Al Jazeera network, is blow to supporters of Egypt's deposed president, Mohamed Morsi, and his Islamist group Muslim Brotherhood. MORE

Nov. 13, 2014

Egyptian Pres Abdel Fattah el-Sisi issues law that allows him to deport non-Egyptians convicted of crimes to their home countries; move could lead to release of Peter Greste, one of three journalists from Al Jazeera English news channel who have been imprisoned for almost a year. MORE

Aug. 16, 2014

Former Vice Pres Al Gore files lawsuit against Al Jazeera, accusing media group of fraud and breach of contract in its $500 million purchase of Current TV; case centers on Al Jazeera's refusal to turn over money remaining in escrow account and still owed to Current TV's selling shareholders, essentially giving it discount on purchase price. MORE

Jul. 24, 2014

Egyptian Judge Mohammed Nagi Shehata says reason for harsh sentences issued against three journalists for Al Jazeera's English-language channel, is that reporters had been brought together 'by the devil' to destabilize Egypt. MORE

Jul. 8, 2014

Egyptian Pres Abdel Fattah el-Sisi expresses disappointment at conviction of three journalists from Al Jazeera's English-language service; comments appear to raise possibility of presidential pardon for the journalists. MORE

Jun. 25, 2014

Egyptian Pres Abdel Fattah el-Sisi says he will not interfere in the case of three journalists from Al Jazeera's English-language service who have been sentenced to at least seven years in prison after being found guilty of conspiring with the Muslim Brotherhood; brushes aside protests from governments of Western countries, including United States. MORE

Jun. 24, 2014

Egyptian judge convicts three journalists from Al Jazeera's English-language network of conspiring with Muslim Brotherhood to broadcast false reports of civil strife in order to bring down government; Mohamed Fahmy, Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed are sentenced to at least seven years in prison; United States criticizes verdict and sentence. MORE

Jun. 24, 2014

Editorial condemns conviction of three international journalists by an Egyptian court, saying specious charges are part of military-backed government's crackdown on dissent; argues that Obama administration should be more forceful in its response, despite strategic importance of its relationship with Egypt; notes that 16,000 people remain in Egyptian jails for political reasons. MORE

May. 16, 2014

Egyptian court says three jailed Al Jazeera journalists must pay $170,000 for a copy of the video footage that prosecutors say shows the defendants fabricated news reports to foment unrest; all three have been in jail since December 2013 on charges that they had formed an Islamist cell and conspired with the Muslim Brotherhood, charges they deny. MORE

Apr. 12, 2014

Alessandra Stanley observes that Borderland, four-part documentary series about illegal border crossings on Al Jazeera America, is startling departure from network's ordinarily sober tone; holds that documentary's reality show format, in which ordinary Americans retrace steps of illegal immigrants, helps to paint compelling picture of difficulties faced by migrants. MORE

Jan. 31, 2014

Egyptian government tries to reassure foreign correspondents that they are free to report there; assurance follows incident in which criminal charges were filed against 20 Al Jazeera journalists accused of conspiring with Muslim Brotherhood; freedom of the press advocates have expressed deep concerns about case. MORE

Jan. 30, 2014

Egyptian prosecutors say they are charging 20 journalists working for the Al Jazeera television network with conspiring with a terrorist group and spreading propaganda for Muslim Brotherhood. MORE

Jan. 1, 2014

Egyptian prosecutors order three detained journalists from the news channel Al Jazeera English to be held in custody for 15 more days, on charges that include belonging to a terrorist group and harming the country's reputation abroad. MORE

Dec. 30, 2013

Egyptian authorities detain team of journalists working for Al Jazeera English news channel on charges that include meeting with members of the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamist group that the government has classified as a terrorist organization. MORE

Oct. 24, 2013

Time Warner Cable agrees to carry Al Jazeera America; contract is vital for Qatar-owned broadcaster because Time Warner Cable supplies television to millions of households in New York and Los Angeles, essential markets for cable channels. MORE

Aug. 21, 2013

Al Jazeera America, which replaced Current TV and promises serious, straightforward news, is dropped by AT&T U-verse; channel was expected to be carried by five of country's biggest television providers; broadcaster asserts breaches of contract and promises legal action to enforce agreement. MORE

Aug. 19, 2013

Egyptian government installed by Gen Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi is putting pressure on foreign news media, only remaining news outlets covering criticism of the violence; correspondent for Al Jazeera is arrested while other journalists are scolded for failing to portray the crackdown in the government’s terms, as a war against violent terrorists. MORE

Aug. 19, 2013

Al Jazeera America is set to join cable and satellite lineups in most ambitious American television news venture since Fox New Channel launched in 1996; cable news channel is promising more hard news, with less opinion and fewer celebrity sightings, in effort to set it apart and seemingly go against grain of every trend in television news. MORE

Jul. 23, 2013

Al Jazeera America, coming international news channel financed by emir of Qatar, names ABC News senior vice president Kate O'Brian to be its president. MORE

May. 27, 2013

Al Jazeera's owners in Qatar are building sizable news organization to cover United States in effort to counter skepticism about its Al Jazeera America cable channel; international news channel which acquired Al Gore's Current TV plans 60 percent new programming, with remaining 40 percent coming from Al Jazeera English. MORE

Apr. 29, 2013

Iraq's government revokes operating licenses of Al Jazeera and nine other television channels, saying that they are inciting sectarian conflict; move is widely perceived as a crackdown on dissent by the Shiite-led government that is facing an increasingly violent Sunni uprising. MORE

Jan. 4, 2013

Editorial laments Time Warner Cable announcement that it will immediately stop carrying Current TV due to its being bought by pan-Arab news network Al Jazeera; contends that move blocks access to an important news source, and that doubts about independence of Al Jazeera do not justify removing it from cable and satellite systems. MORE

Aug. 31, 2012

Al Jazeera, once known in the United States for televising videos of Americans and others taken hostage in foreign countries, is now a serious presence as a worldwide network, and betting heavily on sports to win American viewers; its subsidiary beIN Sport bought rights to broadcast some of the United States World Cup games and has paid heavily to show European soccer in the United States. MORE

May. 8, 2012

Al Jazeera is forced by Chinese authorities to close the China news operations of its English-language channel; move is the first such action in almost 14 years and the strongest sign yet of fraying relations between the Communist Party and overseas journalists who cover it; expulsion is thought to be over official anger about a documentary on Chinese re-education through labor camps. MORE

Mar. 28, 2012

Satellite news network Al Jazeera decides not to air brutally graphic video recorded by Mohammed Merah as he killed seven people in southern France, contending that it has no journalistic value; decision provides an opportunity for Al Jazeera to display its journalistic restraint as it attempts to manage accusations of a double standard in its coverage of uprisings in the Middle East. MORE